Free Media
Whether you’re working on an assignment or a personal project, there are images, audio, video, and tools that you can use for free as long as you attribute the source in your work. Check out each tab to find out how to find and use each type of media. Make sure you also look at the Creative Commons and Citing box for information about one of the most common licensing systems that creators use to make assets free to use. These licences will let you know what you can and can’t do with an asset.
Images
You don't need to be a photographer or a graphic designer to embed beautiful visuals in your schoolwork or personal projects. Use the resources below to find that perfect picture without the worry of infringing on copyright.
Some of these websites have only free images, while others have a mix of free and traditional copyright works. Make sure you filter your search to target free images (such as Creative Commons-licensed images) and read what you are allowed to do with the image.
Photographs
Choose from thousands of photographs. Search for an image, click “Any License,” and choose the license type that suits your needs (e.g., "Modifications Allowed").
Images of artwork in the public domain or that are made available by Getty, which can be used for any purpose. Follow their requirements for attribution.
Find open photos, illustrations, and more using Google. After you search, filter your results by choosing Tools > Usage Rights > Creative Commons licenses.
Search for photos and choose "Basic Download" to download an image for free. Requires a free account to download images.
All images are open and available to use for free. Attribution is encouraged.
All images are open and available to use for free. Attribution is encouraged.
All images are open and available to use for free. Attribution is encouraged.
Search across multiple sites to find images with Creative Commons licenses. You can filter results by license type to suit your needs.
Icons & Clipart
Search across multiple sites to find images with Creative Commons licenses. You can filter results by license type to suit your needs.
Download icons in a variety of formats. Some icon collections on this site are only available for paid accounts. Free icons include attribution for you to use.
Thousands of free vector images in the public domain.
Audio
There is a lot of audio available online, but it’s not all available for use. The resources below contain royalty-free audio and can be used for background music or sound effects in presentations and videos. Make sure you attribute the creators correctly.
Browse and download free music or sound effects for your project in the YouTube audio library. Sort tracks by genre, instrument, mood, or duration.
Search CC Mixter for Creative Commons licensed music, samples, and acapella tracks. Each sound will give you the attribution information when you click to download.
Video Clips
Use the resources below to find free stock videos that can be downloaded and used for your projects.
Free 4K quality stock video clips licensed under Creative Commons.
Free stock videos and Premiere Pro templates. Videos with a Free license can be used for any project, whereas videos with a restricted licence can only be used for personal and educational use.
Free stock videos to use for any purpose. Attribution is encouraged.
Free stock videos to use for any purpose. Attribution is encouraged. Be aware that sponsored content from sites such as Shutterstock may be listed before free content; sponsored content is not free.
Videos for personal use with attribution. After searching, limit your results to Standard or Creative Commons to find free content. Sponsored content is not free and may be listed before free content.
Tools
You can use the free tools below to edit and work with your media files.
Image Editors
Browser-based online tool for editing images. You can add text, retouch, and add effects. Works on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android devices.
Free, open-source photo editor. Works on Windows, Mac, and Linux computers.
Make basic edits to your pictures and videos, and organize your picture collection. Comes pre-installed on all Windows 10 computers.
A simple Windows tool to create screenshots and highlight part of the image. Pre-installed on Windows computers.
Free image editor. Works on both a Mac or Windows computer
Graphic Design Tools
Browse through thousands of colour palettes for inspiration when choosing a unique colour theme for your next video, graphic design project, or presentation. Create a colour palette from scratch or from an image
Canva's Font Combination Guide
Browse this list of fonts that work well together in different types of projects.
Browse existing colour palettes or create your own. You can even add the Coolors extension to Adobe.
Find fonts, download fonts to your computer for offline use, or generate embed codes so you can use these fonts in your websites or blogs.
Free graphics software used to create vector images. Available both online and as a downloadable application.
Online Conversion Tools
Free online tool for converting audio files (e.g. .wav to.mp3)
Free online tool for converting multiple file types (e.g. .svg to .png)
NWP, 2021
What is Creative Commons?
In Canada, all creative works, including graphics and music, are protected by copyright law. Copyright determines how a creator’s work can be used, and copyright protection is automatic, even if you don’t see a copyright symbol or notice.
Creative Commons licenses are an easy way for creators to share their work while retaining copyright over it. These licenses may allow for the sharing or modification of original works without the need to contact copyright owners, and are intended to give creators more freedom over how their work is used.
Do I need to attribute a Creative Commons work that is “No Rights Reserved”?
The short answer is yes.
You may see Creative Commons works marked as being in the public domain or stating that they are no rights reserved (CC0). It is still recommended that you credit these creators. If you use these resources in an academic assignment, presenting the work of others as if it is your own may be considered plagiarism. Crediting all works you use, including Creative Commons licensed works, clearly shows which parts of a project are your own original content and what came from other sources.
Where can I find Creative Commons images, music, videos, etc. to use in my projects?
Explore the tabs in the Using Free Media box. Most of the media found on the websites in these lists is available under CC licenses.
How do I attribute/credit Creative Commons works that I use?
A good attribution for a CC-licensed work will include the author, the title of the work, the source, and the license type, along with links. For examples please see CC Wiki’s Best Practices for Attribution.
Best Practices for Citing Sources in a Digital Assignment
Whenever possible include attribution or citation information directly underneath an image. If that’s not possible, you can usually list this information at the end of your work. Always confirm your professor’s citation expectations if you are using media in assignments. If you need to cite using APA or MLA, check out the tab on Citing.
General Recommendations
Here are some guidelines to help you attribute the media you use:
Include the creator (omit if not available) and a hyperlink to where you found the image underneath the image.
If it looks too cluttered to have this information directly underneath the image, then provide it in one central place with all other image credits and include a title or short description so it is clear which image you are crediting.
For images with a Creative Commons license, see the “Attributing Sources” section of the Creative Commons page or the Wiki for best practices in attributing Creative Commons Sources for instructions on providing an image credit.
If an image website gives you the attribution note, you may copy and use their recommended attribution.
Attribution
Unless otherwise stated, the material in this guide is from the Learning Portal created by College Libraries Ontario. Content has been adapted for the NWP Learning Commons in June 2021. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons BY NC SA 4.0 International License.
All icons on these pages are from The Noun Project. See individual icons for creator attribution.